Coconut, Spinach and Sweet Potato Rice

Side dishes don’t have to be boring! I could happily eat bowl full after bowl full of this delicious rice on it’s own. Sometimes the side dishes are better than the mains. Actually, this would be a beautiful vegetarian main course, perhaps with the addition of green chutney, and a dosa, which is a thin crispy lentil pancake to dip in the sauce. Here is my recipe for Light and Crispy Dosas.

Ok , now I’m hungry! And I’ve also got the wanderlust for Kerala, a place I would love to check out for its beautiful beaches, luscious green scenery and amazing vegetarian food made with lots of coconut. In London we lived near Kilburn, where there happened to be a little pocket of Southern Indian restaurants. The food was so delicious – lighter and different from the Indian food I was familiar with. One restaurant called Vijays, was literally the living room of someone’s house that over time had been turned into a full scale restaurant. It had become quite popular with some celebrities and had gained a cult following. At these restaurants and also watching travel cookery shows, I learned about gorgeous fish curries, creamy dahls and tangy sambals of Southern India.

If eating this as a side dish, maybe some grilled fish in a spicy marinade would be the perfect main to accompany it. Food that is intensely flavourful yet healthy gives me the most satisfaction of all. And travelling through the food we prepare is the perfect way to raise our spirits and spark our imagination. Its feels like visiting another culture for a brief moment through our dinner table. I absolutely love trying foods from other countries.

This rice side dish is perfect for kids, and my baby especially loved it. The coconut and sweet potato are so sweet and mild, and kids always seem to love carbs like rice! I use brown rice to be healthier, plus I like it better for its nutty flavour. I chopped the spinach stems very fine and sautéed it with an onion to hide it within the rice. You might notice there are no greens in the photo, but I do have them included in the recipe. When I photographed this, I only had some stems to use up, and was looking for the perfect way to use the stems rather than let them go to waste. The clean spinach greens look and taste even more amazing when included.

Just a little touch of super healthy tumeric gives a great yellow colour and an earthiness to balance out the sweet coconut milk and sweet potato. Turmeric has many benefits, in fact there are some studies that have claimed that turmeric is more effective than many medicines at potentially reversing disease.

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Hey there! I’m Becky.

I create family meals that are fast, fresh and healthy, and most importantly: will have the wow-factor with your crew. These are dishes that are pleasing to adults, yet also kid approved. I believe kids can and should just eat what we eat. Keep offering them lots of variety, don't sweat it when they go through picky phases often (totally normal) - over time they will learn to eat the foods that you eat.

Are you stuck for inspiration on what to cook for dinner? Do you cook one meal for the kids then another for the adults? Do you miss a little bit of the foodie-freedom you had before having kids? Or if you just like good food, then these recipes are for you.

About Me:
I am a UK Masterchef semi-finalist and a lover of farms, animals, travel, fitness and fashion. Originally from the US but lived in London for 15 years and now reside in the countryside 2 hours South of Sydney, Australia with my husband and two little crazy boys. I love travelling and experiencing new cultures. Cooking is my creative outlet. Read More…

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